Wheel Clever

 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness . . .   ” Rom 8:26, 27

A simple windmill will power a pump to bring hidden ground water to the surface. The business of windmill manufacturing began in Nebraska around the 1870’s but came into its own during the next two decades due to the absence of rain. What is interesting is that Nebraskans came up with some very creative wooden windmill design solutions to best harness the wind power here. This was critical as it allowed settlers to tap into the vast supply of underground water reserves by utilizing the free and constant power of wind that swept the prairies. An efficient windmill proved to be a vital aid to survival and prosperity.

As we head toward Pentecost we are reminded that the image of a mighty wind is often associated with the Holy Spirit’s activity. What do we know about the Spirit’s work with the believer in the area of prayer? The Scriptures (Rom 8) tell us that the Spirit of God helps in our weakness by praying for us. Not only does the Spirit stand ready to assist us but a few verses later we are told that Jesus Himself intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. What a comfort to know we are not alone and that God Himself has His eyes upon us in such an intimate way. To know we are held in prayer is to be securely loved.

So we see that we have an advocate who makes us the object of His prayers from heaven and an advocate who makes us the vehicle of His prayers through us here on earth. The Spirit carries us in prayer when we are weak and helpless and feel like no words will usher forth. Christ is the wind from heaven and the Holy Spirit is the breeze on our face. The life fully possessed by the Spirit is like a windmill turned to take full advantage of the wind. The Spirit waits for God’s people to turn to Him for power to live the Christian life with dynamism. Christ’s prayers are constant and unabated but the Spirit prays “with” us (Rom 8:16) and because of this emphasis on co-operation His influence can be moderated. Turn and allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to refresh and beckon you to God’s mighty plans for your life.

Is Bigger Better?

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .   ” Acts 4:23-31

When is big too big? It is now two years since the Burj Khalifa skyscraper was officially opened in Dubai. At a staggering 160 floors and towering a half mile above the desert it now stands as the world’s tallest building. To put it in perspective, this shimmering spike is easily twice the height of the Empire State Building (1931). Unfortunately, the once-booming desert metropolis that lies at its base has not kept up with the soaring confidence of the new building as the economy has collapsed. In just eighty years we have progressed to this dizzying height but only with this building did we jump a massive 1,000 feet to break the previous record set in 2004. The jump mimics the rapidity of change we are experiencing in our life-time and best observed in the recent technological advancements.

How different are the values of success when God takes them from the balances of human judgment and weighs them on the balance of heavenly scales. In that perspective there are some “big men” who will appear dwarfs and some insignificant men who will appear as spiritual giants. A person is no bigger than their prayer life or as the Scottish spiritual giant Robert Murray McCheyne once said, “What a man is on his knees before God, that he is – and nothing more”. A person must descend to greatness. On his knees he is tallest.

The swift and powerful movement of the Spirit of God as recorded in the book of Acts was not only initiated by prayer, but fed and nurtured by prayer. Prayer was the air they breathed and the link to their purity and power. Acts 4 records the first prayer meeting of the young Church in which we see such boldness, authority and power as they petitioned God. They prayed because they were filled, and they were filled because they prayed.

If we claim to be a people who are Spirit led and Spirit empowered it must be evidenced in a life of prayer or, whatever the endearing initial experience might have been, it will all fade and tarnish. The Scriptures and history prove that a movement of God will last as long as the Spirit of prayer that inspired it. Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” We build tall and strong when we build in prayer.

Needs Met

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11.13

Easter is not done in a day! You may be back to work and feeling as if you have sailed down stream from the greatest religious festival of the year but do not forget that we are now progressing down the river that flows directly to Pentecost and the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is the season of the Holy Spirit - a time of education, expectation and preparation for God’s renewing work. We have fifty days of celebration in front of us from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Easter is the high point from which all flows because His death and resurrection are the basis of our salvation. Hallelujah! Pentecost is God’s gift of power to live the resurrected life. As Billy Graham stated, “Our two greatest needs were met at Calvary and Pentecost – forgiveness and goodness”.

The gospel is a gigantic love story. God both meets our inner longing for forgiveness and our desire to live a life worthy of our calling. So we see that our second greatest need is not hidden and the supply not withheld. Because we live post-Pentecost we are not waiting for the Holy Spirit to come, He is waiting for us to implore His participation in our lives, our churches, and our communities. Dear Christian, this gift is for you to enjoy with ever increasing richness. You may have been a disciple for many years but you have never hungered for a deeper filling of God’s Spirit. By “filling” I mean allowing God to consume you with His presence – to overshadow you with His love. How can I receive this gift? Jesus tells us we must ask. We cannot just tell God we are “open to a filling”, we must understand God’s desire and then ask, seek and knock.  The Spirit does not want to be “lodger” with you, but rather the “Proprietor” of your life.

This season of Easter is a good time to welcome the Holy Spirit more fully into your life and receive His power to become a more winsome witness of God’s love and power. In granting the Spirit’s presence in our lives God is giving Himself. Oh, what a treasure is God’s plan for our lives!

Formula for Freedom

“Then he (Jesus) said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’” Heb 10:9         

We have now progressed toward Easter such that Calvary is within sight. The memories of the tears and anguish of the way of the Cross are tangibly before us. Yet the irony is that the cruel Roman tool for execution where our Savior hung has become the fulcrum for freedom for those who embrace it. Let me unpack that a little as it is not too obvious. As we contemplate Jesus, nailed and pinned to the wooden frame of the cross, we actually are beholding a man detached from the greatest allurements of this world. All around us people are clambering for wealth, pleasure, power and honor. On the cross Jesus hangs detached from these worldly enticements. How? There on the cross He was stripped naked, undergoing incredible physical and emotional pain, confined to Golgotha, and mocked and ridiculed his life stands in direct opposition to what the world would argue is the “good life”.

Now, out here in Nebraska many people may not be overly enticed by wealth, pleasure or power but this subject of honor is much more alluring. Worldly honor translates to the over concern for the approval of others. Many will select their careers, friendships, hobbies and purchases with an eye to being noticed and respected. Thomas Aquinas insightfully stated that if you want happiness despise what Jesus despised and love what He loved on the cross. As I have already pointed out, Jesus detached himself or despised the four great worldly pursuits that typically lead a person away from God and showed us the real way to freedom.

On the cross Christ embraced the will of the Father as His supreme passion. Jesus never gave up on the mission. There is one thing about a man carrying a cross to the place of execution – He is not coming back. The key to a prayer life of power is this single hearted desire to do the Father’s will, detached from the world, and to persevere even in tremendous suffering. It is in suffering that we are unusually close to Christ. The cross is the emblem of freedom and in it is a picture of right-placed joy.